Of Love and Lies
by Lady Sharp
Summary: Dumbeldore has a plan, and it's up to Anastasia Adhemar to fulfill it. Will she be able to succeed in thwarting Tom Riddle, or will it already be too late? Only time will tell. Rated M for safety.
1. Propositions

I do not own any of the characters in the following story, except for those not found in the Harry Potter Series. I only own the plot and Anastasia Adhemar.

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><p><strong>PROPOSITIONS.<strong>

Albus Dumbledore sat behind the large mahogony desk in his office, the surface relatively clear with the exception of two items. The first was a leather-bound book, the cover faded and slightly dog-eared, a hole in the center with burn marks around it. A dark red liquid was still fresh around the edges of the circle, as well as the faded, yellowing parchment pages inside. They were all blank, which suggested that it may have once been a diary. Dumbledore turned the thing over in his hands a few times, before there was a sharp knock at the door.

"Come in," he called, setting the book down gently on top of the desk. The doorknob turned and a second later, a fair-haired girl with an ivory complexion opened the door and stepped over the treshhold, shutting it quietly behind her. Dumbledore motioned for her to sit in the chair in front of the desk. The girl walked forward, her uniform skirt swishing back and forth in a certain rhythmic grace with each step. Sitting down in the chair, she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and folded her hands in her lap, the Head Girl pin on her chest resting just above the silver and green crest on her robes that read 'SLYTHERIN', a snake gracing the patch. Her dark eyes, the color of sapphire, met those of the Headmaster, and she cleared her throat.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" She asked, soft but not at all weak. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, Miss Adhemar. Due to recent events, I have a job that needs to be filled, and due to your excellent academic performance in charms, potions, transfiguration and defense against the dark arts, I have selected you, personally, for it." Dumbledore stood as he paused, walking over to the window and looking out it, before turning his gaze back to the girl. "It will be a very difficult, as well as undoubtedly dangerous task, and I would not ask it of you if I did not think that you would be able to handle it with exceptional skill and grace under pressure. Will you be willing to accept?"

The girl raised an eyebrow, blinking. "May I know what the task is first, Professor?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly, leaving his position by the window and walking over to his desk, where he took a seat upon his chair once more. "I expected you to ask this, and am glad you have. Miss Adhemar" he spoke, making eye contact once more, "I am asking that you travel back in time, with the use of a time turner, to the year nineteen forty-five. It is pertinent that you find a Slytherin student by the name of Tom Riddle and you thwart him somehow. Befriend him, reveal his secrets - the way you do so does hold much importance. What does is that you are victorious in your mission. If you choose to accept, you will be departing to nineteen forty-three within the half hour. We will give you clothes dating back to the time period, as well as current schoolbooks and a cover story. You will be a transfer student from America, where you lived in an orphanage because your parents died when you were five years old. You decided to transfer to Hogwarts because you wanted to better your education, as well as be in a safer envrionment. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded, before swallowing hard. "Professor... This student, Tom Riddle... is he?"

"A wizard we now know by Lord Voldemort? Yes." Dumbledore then paused, his expression calm. "Do you accept?"

The girl, by the name of Adhemar, sat still and silent for several moments. Then -

"Yes, sir. I accept."

Dumbledore's old and whethered face split into a smile, and from behind his desk he produced a trunk. "This contains everything you will need. Textbooks, supplies, clothing, even a book on slang and behavior customs. I trust you will be well mannered enough to get by, anyway. Can you fake an accent?"

Miss Adhemar cleared her throat, then spoke in an even tone, pronouncing every letter in every word. "Of course."

"Excellent." He then pulled the second object off his desk. It was an hourglass attached to a glittering, golden chain. Passing it to the girl, he added, "It has already been turned to the appropriate time. All you have to do is spin it. Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good luck, Anastasia," Dumbledore spoke, handing her the time turner. Anastasia placed it around her neck carefully after wrapping her fingers around the trunk. A moment later, she flicked the outer circular piece of the time turner, and held still while the setting around her rewound itself backwards in time. Before she knew it, the blurring slowed and she was now standing in the same office, but with less pictures covering the wallks and different objects in the room. Letting go of the trunk, she took the time turner from around her neck and stuffed it into the pocket of her robes, next to her wand. She walked towards the window, looking out over the bright and sunny grounds of Hogwarts, furrowing her eyebrows at the blank space of grass where the Whomping Willow should have been. _Well, that's a bit odd,_ she thought, before turning to her left and slowly walking the perimiter of the room, drinking in the books and the portraits, the oddities and the like. She had made it to a carved wooden cabinent, when she heard the doorknob turn nearby. Her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly ducked behind a large stack of books atop a wooden case. She wasn't sure who was behind the door, but she knew that she didn't want to be caught.


	2. First Impressions

So sorry it took so long to update! I've been so busy with graduation and getting things together for my freshman year of college, but I've finally gotten around to writing another (very short) chapter for everyone, and I hope it'll suffice for now.

OHHEY. You know that awesome series by J.K. Rowling called _The Harry Potter Series_? I own none of it. I don't own any of the characters in this chapter, aside from Anastasia Adhemar. She is the only exception. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>FIRST IMPRESSIONS.<strong>

Muffled voices from behind the door were magnified in volume and clarity as the door opened. One of them belonged to a tall, thin man with a lightly wrinkled face and black hair that was graying in the roots. The other, a young man about Anastasia's age, tall and olive skinned with a dark head of hair and eyes to match. As she peered from behind the wooden case, her eyes fell on the badge that read Head Boy on his chest, and she quickly ducked back behind the safety of her hideout, hand ripping her own Head Girl badge off. As she sat behind the case, her ears took in the conversation going on between the two newcomers to the room.

"This is odd," a ragged voice, no doubt the older one of the two, spoke as his footsteps stopped. "Her school trunk is here, but she's not..."

Realization struck Anastasia as she shoved her badge into the bag that was slung around her shoulders. Pulling out a vial of ink, she stood up quickly from behind the case and made an effort to brush some hair out of her face as she cleared her throat. "Sorry about that! I dropped my ink," she proclaimed, stepping out and placing her vial of ink back in her bag, hoping that her excuse sounded as good as her accent did. Judging by the look on the older man's face, she was doing just fine.

"Ah! Miss Adhemar, it's truly a pleasure to meet you at last. I am Professor Dippet, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and this is Tom Riddle, our resident Head Boy." Professor Dippet extended his hand and Anastasia took it, shaking calmly as she did so. When he mentioned Tom, Tom did the same thing. Fighting back a heavy sigh, she repeated her action, making sure to maintain eye contact as she tried hard to read past his expression. "I do hope that you find Hogwarts as accommodating as you did the American Academy of Magic."

Releasing Tom's hand, Anastasia turned back towards Professor Dippet. "I have no doubt in my mind that I will, Professor." _If only you knew_, she thought in the back of her mind as a warm smile graced her lips. Professor Dippet smiled back, clapping his hands together.

"Well! We have a big day ahead of us all - it's the first day of classes. Tom will show you around the castle and the grounds, run through the rules and code of conduct with you, and show you to the Common Room. It's conveniant that you were sorted into the same house," he pointed out, nodding, before retiring behind his desk. "You both may leave. I'll have your trunk taken down to your dormitory."

On that note, Anastasia nodded and turned, following Tom out the door of the Professor's office and down the winding staircase. This was certainly easier than she had expected it to be, and the tour was a nice prospect to her, considering she had already seen the entire castle two hundred times over. With people like the Weasley twins, you learned to spot every nook, cranny, and secret passageway that you could.

"So, you're Head Boy?" Anastasia volunteered for conversation topic, paying no mind to the moving portraits that turned to watch her and Tom as they walked side by side down the corridor.

"Yes," Tom spoke, before stopping and turning towards her. "Look, I don't have the time to be giving a tour, so I'll take you to the common room, and then you can figure out the rest of the castle for yourself while I do something important."

The sudden shift in his tone and the sneer on his lips earned an eyebrow raise from Anastasia as she looked him over, then shook her head. "You know what? Don't even bother with the common room part. I can find it myself." Her voice cut through the air sharply and she was inwardly proud of herself for maintaining her accent. She was even more satisfied with the words that followed her as she walked away.

"Oh really? How do you expect to manage that?" He inquired scathingly, clearly put off by the fact that some American transfer student had sassed him. Anastasia didn't even bother looking over her shoulder as she rounded a corner.

"Just watch me! Or not. I don't want to keep you from whatever it is you consider to be important work." Anastasia began decending a staircase as she finished her reply, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She didn't bother to look around and observe the tapestries and statues that she had walked past every day as she walked down the flagstone path that lead to the dungeons. She didn't care for the hourglasses documenting house points, or the short corridoor that lead to the kitchens. Her feet carried her down, into the depths of the castle as her mind wandered. This was going to be more difficult than expected. Dumbledore had advised her to somehow thwart Voldemort - no, Tom - from turning into the threat he was currently posing in her time period. A sardonic laugh escaped Ana as she remembered that Dumbledore had suggested friendship. Right, like that was going to happen.

Anastasia came up to the brick wall that separated her from the Slytherin Common Room, and cleared her throat. _"Absolutum dominium."_

Nothing happened.

Anastasia swore under her breath, staring at the wall. She knew where the common room was, but she didn't have a clue as to what the password could be. Running a hand through her hair, she cleared her throat and offered up another one. Still, nothing happened. Groaning heavily, she ran a hand through her hair and turned sharply, slamming into another form. Staggering backwards, Ana lost her balance and fell, landing on her rear painfully. Another swear escaped her lips before she looked up and groaned. "Oh great, it's you."

A smirk was formed on Tom Riddle's lips as he offered a hand to help her up. "Sorry to disappoint you. Thought you should know that the password is _'pureblood'_."

"Of course it is," Anastasia murmured as she ignored the offer of his hand and stood, brushing herself off. The stone wall had swung open and she adjusted the strap of her bag as she walked into the Common Room, heading to the staircase on the left side of the room.

"Hey, how do you know that's the girls' dorm?" Tom called after her. She could practically hear the smirk in his voice and she stopped, looking over her shoulder back at him.

"The same way I knew where the Common Room was: I'm intelligent." And, flipping her hair over her shoulder, she walked up the stairs and towards what she knew was the dormitory for seventh year girls. Her hands tightened around the strap of her bag as she heard the faint snicker of Tom Riddle, and she knew deep down inside that there was no way she was going to be able to stomach him long enough to be his friend. She was going to need to figure out another way. Until then, she would sleep. After travelling back in time almost fifty years and having a banter with the soon to be darkest wizard of all time, you got pretty tired.

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><p>Love it? Hate it? Want more? Leave me a review and tell me how to improve this. I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon!<p> 


	3. Friends and Foes

Hey guys! This chapter is LONG overdue and I hope it lives up to expectations. The story is still in it's infancy but after this one it should start taking off, and writing more chapters for it will be much, much easier.

I do not own the Harry Potter verse or any of the characters other than the following: Anastasia Adhemar and William Bardsley.

Also, I realize that if I were playing by the correct timeline, Charlus Potter would be twenty seven and happily married to Dorea Black. As it is, this is my fan fiction and I've taken the artistic liberties of making Charlus and (by extension) Dorea seventeen again.

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><p>The soft fabric of the pillowcase against Anastasia's skin was comforting as she yawned, arms and legs stretching out. Her fair hair spilled out over the pillow as she turned over, her mind breaking free of the sweet dreamland she had just left. In a few moments she would be completely awake and wouldn't remember a thing.<p>

Sitting up, Anastasia rubbed her eyes and yawned again, opening them to the dark interior of the dormitory. A frown crossed her lips before she realized by the sounds of snoring coming from other corners of the room that it was probably late at night. The rumbling of her stomach didn't help, and she quietly got up out of bed and slid her shoes on, quietly crossing over to the door and slipping out of the sleeping quarters for the seventh year girls. Her hands found her wand quickly and she lit her way carefully out of the dungeons and up to the portrait of a bowl of fruit. Almost as if she had been doing it for years, she reached a finger up to the colossal pear and began tickling it. When it swung forward, she walked in and requested something from one of the house elves. A moment later it returned with a basket and smiling, handed it to Anastasia. She left with a grin, the basket handle hanging from her forearm.

The soft glow of the light from Ana's wand bathed the halls as she walked past snoring portraits, her mind wandering free. There were some differences in the castle that came with the time change – some spots of wall were empty instead of being covered by tapestries. Statues of stern looking goblins and batty hags had been replaced by majestic winged horses and crazed looking banshees. Anastasia passed silently by the prefect's bathroom and was about to round a corner when someone stopped her.

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" a gruff voice spoke from behind Ana. She turned her head slightly, wand held aloft and she raised a brow as her light washed over the raggedly handsome face of another student, standing half a head above her.

"Can I help you?" her tone was flat as she looked up at him, eyebrow still arched. He smirked, amused.

"Well, surely someone as pretty as you could help just about anyone…" his voice drifted off as he let his eyes roam over her form, and Anastasia glared, stepping back a step. He snorted, reaching up a hand to brush her hair out of her face. "Come on, now, don't be like that."

At an instant, Ana reached up her free hand and smacked the boy hard across the face, basket swaying on her arm as she did so. A curse flew from his mouth as he clutched the side of his face before looking up, a heated spark in his eye. "You like to play rough, do you? I can work with that." But as he began advancing towards Ana, the form of another student entered the picture, stepping in between the two.

"What the devil is going on here?" Tom Riddle asked, looking from Ana to the other student and back. The boy rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. Tom turned his attention back to the boy, head cocked to the side. "Yes, Bardsley?"

'"This bint slapped me across the face" he spoke, glaring as he muttered under his breath "filthy little mudblood..."

"Enough!" Tom cut him off, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose in thought, eyes shut. When they finally opened, he looked at Bardsley with a hard stare. "It's the second night back and already you're fighting with the transfer student?" Bardsley moved his mouth to say something and Tom held up a finger. "A week's worth detention in the Forbidden Forest with the Groundskeeper. Now get back to bed before I make it a month's worth."

This was enough to make Bardsley turn about-face and walk in the direction that Ana had come after gaping angrily for a couple of seconds. Once his form disappeared, Anastasia narrowed her eyes, sliding her basket into her hands. "I had that under control, you know." Although hushed a bit, her voice was not free of its scathing tone she seemed to be adopting around the Head Boy. Tom raised an eyebrow, scoffing.

"Yeah, sure looked like it. You were _really_ showing him." Tom's eyes fell to the basket in her hands and he frowned. "What's in the basket, America?"

"Anastasia," she corrected, and then frowned. "Weapons of mass destruction. What do you think?" She opened up a portion of the basket with her free hand and looked inside. "Bread, butter, goat cheese, grapes, an apple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and a container of pumpkin juice."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "That's a hell of a lot of food for just one person. Where are you going?"

Anastasia glared again, shutting the basket and turning away. "That is none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't" Tom spoke, grabbing her by the wrist and wheeling her around to face him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm Head Boy. Everything is my business."

A caustic scowl crossed Ana's face as she yanked her arm away. "More like big-headed boy. I don't know what your deal is, but you need to get off your high horse before someone knocks you off of it."

As soon as her words reached him, a menacing sneer formed on Tom's lips. "I'd watch your tongue if I were you, Yank." he murmured, taking a step closer as his cold gray eyes narrowed, piercing through her blue ones. "If you don't, my hand just might... slip."

"Is that a threat?" Her voice cut through the tense silence as she maintained eye contact, her expression every bit as angry and annoyed as his. "Or a promise?"

The sneer remained on Tom's lips as he continued to stare down at her in disdain. "Both, Yank." The words dripped with venom from his mouth and caused Anastasia to narrow her eyes in disgust, forcefully shoving past him and walking down the corridor. If he called after her for whatever reason, she was going to keep moving. It bothered her to no end that he was so callous and rude - of course, she really wasn't an American, but she still felt greatly offended by his tone of voice and wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face. As it was, she was going to contain herself. She had in the past - she could now. After all, Dumbledore would not approve of a brawl this early, if ever.

Occupied by her thoughts for most of her walk to someplace far, far away from a certain arrogant Slytherin with high authority, Anastasia didn't realize that she was approaching another student until she had collided with them, dropping her basket. Groaning, she clutched her head and sighed, while the person turned and arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

"In a hurry, I take it?" the person - yet another male - asked, though with a gentle and intrigued tone. Ana stood up slowly, brushing herself off and taking a moment to let her eyes sweep over what she could see of the boy. The moonlight provided her with a good look at his facial expression, and she knew from it that he wasn't a prefect waiting to report her.

"I'm just trying to put as much distance between myself and the totalitarian dictator known as the head boy." She paused for a moment, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Sorry about that. I guess I was just lost in thought."

The boy nodded, a lopsided grin crossing his face. "No problem. I'm glad someone else feels the same way about Riddle as I do."

"So you've made an enemy of him, too? Glad to know I'm not the only one." A matching grin crossed Ana's face as she chuckled. Her newfound friend couldn't help but laugh gently himself.

"I'm Charlus. Charlus Potter... and I'm assuming you're new since you don't have an accent and I've never seen you around the castle before." He held out one hand as his other ruffled through his jet black hair, making it a bit messier than normal. Anastasia took it and shook it firmly, nodding.

"Anastasia Adhemar. New transfer student from America and latest addition to the Slytherin house."

"Slytherin? You're lying. You're much too friendly and amiable to be a Slytherin."

Raising a brow, Anastasia sighed. "You're a Gryffindor, I assume?" When Charlus confirmed it with a nod, she sighed again. "That explains it. Well, I guess I should be on my way. I've got some evil plans to devise while I eat my evil dinner in my evil layer and try to come up with some evil synonyms for the word 'evil'."

Charlus laughed at this as he bent down to retrieve Anastasia's basket. "Do you mind if I come along? I mean, as long as these evil plans entail the humiliation and downfall of that totalitarian dictator, I'd be happy to assist."

Crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side, Anastasia feigned thought for a moment, before allowing her arms to drop to her side as a feigned sigh escaped her lips. "Fine" she muttered, shoving her hands into her pockets. "I suppose you can tag along. Perhaps you know an even better vicinity than my evil layer of evil."

"Do I ever. Come along - I'll show you the best place for a midnight picnic." And with that, Charlus turned on his heel and began leading the way down the corridor. Anastasia followed beside him, her stomach grumbling as they walked out of the castle and down to a patch of grass by an oak tree. When Charlus decided they were at the right spot, he pulled a patch of fabric and his wand out of his pocket with his free hand and cast an enlargement charm on the fabric, causing it to grow into a large blanket. Anastasia helped him lay it out, before sitting on her knees as they both opened the basket.

"You've got quite a spread here. Were you expecting someone?"

Anastasia shook her head. "Nope. I just missed lunch and dinner because of... the time differences."

Charlus nodded. "Well, I'm sorry for that. Hopefully you won't be too tired tomorrow. Professor Slughorn is more than ecstatic to meet you."

"Professor Slughorn?" Anastasia inquired as she took out a slice of bread and began spreading goat cheese across the surface. "Who's he?"

"Potions Professor, Slytherin Head of House, and Head of Slug Club." While saying all of this, Charlus grabbed himself some bread and grapes, munching on them thoughtfully. "It's pretty exclusive, invitation only. So far all it is is a few select token students, and then a bunch of worthless Slytherins - no offense."

"None taken." Anastasia spoke as she finished off her bread and poured herself some pumpkin juice. "I take it you aren't in Slug Club?"

"Actually, I am. I've got promising quidditch skills and whatnot, so that was my ticket in. You can also get in if you've got admirable talent of sorts, unsurpassing skill with academics, or the right last name." Popping another grape into his mouth, he shrugged. "You'll probably get in, being foreign and all, and then I'll have a reason to actually attend a meeting."

"How very thoughtful of you." Placing a strawberry in her mouth, Anastasia pondered for a moment, before sighing heavily.

"What is it?" Charlus inquired, a curious expression on his face as he finished off his take of the grapes and leaned foreward.

"Nothing, really." When he raised a disbelieving eyebrow, Ana shrugged and yawned. "I'm just getting a little tired, is all."

"Well, let me pack up and I'll walk you back to your common room."

"It's alright. You don't have to do that." Her voice was oddly quiet, despite the fact that they were the only two people out on the grounds.

"Well, I know that. But what if I want to?" Smirking slyly, Charlus stood and offered a hand to Anastasia. "That way, if Riddle comes around, I can defend your honor."

"How very... noble of you." Anastasia smiled as she took his hand and helped him pack up everything. Walking back up to the castle and down towards the dungeons, she kept her hands shoved into her pockets and the conversation light. She couldn't help but think that Charlus Potter was the grandfather of Harry. After all, what were the chances of there being more than one Potter in the castle? She didn't want to think about what sort of repercussions there would be if she messed up this mission on account of personal relationships. Then again...

"Well, here we are." Anastasia's voice bounced off the stone walls of the dungeons as they reached the patch of wall that was to lead into the Slytherin commons. "I appreciate your time and company."

"Please. The pleasure was all mine." Charlus gave a little bow, which made Anastasia chuckle as he straightened and began walking away. "Goodnight, Anastasia. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Charlus. I look forward to it." She smiled gently and waved back at him, waiting until he disappeared from view to turn back to the wall and murmur the password. The wall slid open and Anastasia walked through, yawning again as she began walking towards the girls' dormitories.

"Good evening, America." Anastasia stiffined as the familiar, lofty tone reached her ears. Her hand tightened around the banister as she looked down at her feet, hair spilling over her shoulder.

"Do you ever get tired of being a creep?" Anastasia blurted as she turned, leaning against the banister. As expected, Tom was feet from her, arms crossed with a scowl upon his face.

"Your old school may have let such sass and conduct slip under the radar, but I fear that won't be happening here." His tone was beyond that of a lecture - it was clear he wasn't happy. That made Anastasia quite joyful inside.

"Well then, if that's all you have to say, I'll be going to bed now." When she turned away, his cold fingers closed around her wrist, causing a scowl to cross her lips as he stepped in close, leaning forward until his lips were centimeters from her ear.

"I'm not done with you, Anastasia. I'm not sure you understand exactly _who_ you are messing with here." The sinister undertone to his whisper made the hairs on the back of Anastasia's neck stand up, and at the same time made her blood boil.

"Actually, I do." Yanking her hand away, Anastasia stormed up the staircase, pausing at the top to look back down in the glowering face of Tom Riddle. "I truly think I do."

And with that, she vanished into the girls' dormitories, slamming the door behind her.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review, add some constructive criticism, tell me what you'd like to see in future chapters, and hey! Maybe I'll make it happen. 3<p> 


	4. Threatening Competition

I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters, just Anastasia Adhemar and that Bardsley dude.

I hope this chapter pleases everyone - I spend about a month working on it and it's by far the longest I've written - I hope to keep this a habit and make my chapters around four or five thousand words from here on out.

If you like what you read, leave a review! If you have suggestions, leave a review! If you love me, leave a review! (see a pattern here?)

Also, I'm still horrible at ending chapters. I don't think that'll ever end.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR - THREATENING COMPETITION<strong>

"Who is she?"

"I overheard Slughorn and Dumbledore talking about an American transfer student, and I guarantee she's the one."

"They must be starving in America, then. She's comepletely emaciated."

The hum of voices brought Anastasia out of her stupor, and she rubbed her eyes as they continued to buzz. The second voice spoke up immediately.

"Way to go, Dorea. You woke her up."

"I did not!" cried the first voice. "You're the one with the big mouth!"

"Will both of you quiet down? I'm trying to brush my hair and your jabbering is distracting."

"Irene, if you keep brushing all your hair is going to fall out."

Stretching, Anastasia sat up and blinked her vision into focus. Two girls were sitting at her bedside, staring at her with the curiosity one would hold when observing a new spell in class or the movements of a kitten. One had shockingly light gray eyes and short, dark hair whereas the other was dark skinned with hair that seemed to reach the floor. Anastasia raised an eyebrow and sat back a bit, clearing her throat and readying her accent a split second before she spoke.

"Er... good morning?" her tone rose at the end and she was quite releaved that she had managed to sound American enough - the girl with the pale eyes smiled, though it was a bit more smug than one would expect.

"So, Sleeping Beauty finally awakes," she spoke, chuckling a bit. "My name's Dorea, and this here is Persephone," she gestured to the dark-skinned girl beside her, who gave a nod. "And that -" Dorea pointed to a redhead sitting across the room on a four-poster - "is Irene." She paused a moment, looking around the room, before turning back to Anastasia. "Morgana and Astrid already went down to breakfast, but you'll meet them soon enough. So... what's it like in America?"

Anastasia blinked a couple of times, trying to take in everything Dorea said before answering. "Well... Usually when we wake up, there aren't others hovering over us..."

Dorea flushed scarlet as Persephone laughed, getting up of the bed. "Come on, Dorie" she spoke, tugging on the girl's arm. "Give the girl some breathing room so she can get ready."

Rising out of bed, Anastasia crossed to her trunk and opened it, pulling out a uniform, her wand, and her schoolbooks methodically. She was unaware that he roommates were watching her with a certain curiousity - mainly Dorea - until she turned around to close her trunk. She raised a single brow before they all turned back to what they had been previously doing, and Anastasia stripped off her dressing gown, replacing it carefully with her uniform. It was odd, she thought as she buttoned up her blouse and tucked it into her charcoal black skirt. She had thought a few days ago that in less than a week, she would be done with putting on her uniform, tying her silver and emerald green tie, pulling her sweatervest over her head and dressing herself in her school robe.

Of course, fate had other plans.

Sighing heavily, Anastasia ran a brush through her hair and tied it back with a black ribbon. Once her feet slid into her shoes, she turned and faced her roommates - Irene had left, but Persephone and Dorea were still there, packing their books into their bags.

"Where's breakfast held?" She asked, deciding it best to play dumb. Persephone looked up as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"The Great Hall," she spoke, half-smiling. "We'll show you... what's your name?"

"Anastasia," Ana spoke, mirroring Persephone's smile. "Anastasia Adhemar. Sorry... I'm bad at introductions."

"Well, Anastasia Adhemar" Dorea spoke, slinging her own bag over her shoulder. "You'll have pleanty of time today to practice getting better at it."

"Oh, joy" she muttered, and Dorea and Persephone laughed in response.

On the way up to The Great Hall, Persephone and Dorea asked Anastasia questions about America, which prompted her to invent stories as quickly as she could - she came from the American Academy of Magic, tucked away in the vast forests that occupied upstate New York, hidden safely away from muggles. She had been to New York City on occassion but was not quite fond of it as many would seem to be. Her family came from Massachusettes and she was living with her Aunt in Surrey at the moment. They did not have houses at her old school like they did at Hogwarts - instead, each student had a roommate and they kept said roommate throughout their seven years at school.

"No house system? That's rather odd," Persephone spoke as they entered The Great Hall, heading over to the Slytherin table. Anastasia sat on one side and they on the other, and Dorea began buttering a piece of toast as Persephone poured oatmeal into a bowl. "How big was your school?"

"Not nearly as big as Hogwarts," Anastasia spoke, spooning fruit onto her plate. "But there are multiple schools for magical arts in America. The American Academy of Magic is mainly for students living in the New England states, whereas the Midwestern School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is located in western Ohio." She paused long enough to chew and swallow a strawberry, before continuing. "You see, for every section of the United States, there is a different school for witches and wizards."

"How... _fascinating_" came a familiar drawl, and Anastasia sneered. She had been living fifty years in the past for less than a day and she had already come to know and hate that voice. Swiveling around, her gaze followed up to those piercing gray eyes and haughty smile. "Please, do tell me more."

"What do _you_ want?" Anastasia asked, taking a very angry bite out of an apple and chewing furiously as she looked up at Tom. "By the way, fantastic eavesdropping skills. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd have years of experience."

A cold laugh emitted from Riddle and he shoved his hands into his pockets - Anastasia was sure his right hand was clenched around his wand. "Always swift on the return. However skillful I may be, you'll find I can be very... _persuasive._"

And with that, Tom walked a little ways down the table and took a seat amidst a group of equally smug looking boys. Anastasia couldn't help but watch him and glare the whole time, before turning back to her newfound friends.

"What was _that_ about?" Dorea asked, both eyebrows raised as she nibbled on the corner of her bread. Anastasia shrugged.

"He started it," she muttered, chewing on her berries. Persephone snorted.

"You sure do have a lot of nerve," she spoke, twirling her spoon around in her oatmeal. "The only other girl in the castle that's got the chutzpah to stand up to The Head Boy is Minerva, and even she's a bit more... discreet about it."

"I guess I've got a long way to go" Anastasia murmured, pushing her food around her plate with a fork. Dorea and Persephone chuckled, shaking their heads.

"What's your first class?" Persephone asked curiously, still twirling her spoon in her oatmeal that she was no longer interested in. When Anastasia mentioned potions, Persephone sighed. "Dorea and I aren't taking that course... It's down in the dungeons. I wish we could show you, but we've got Divination and that's all the way on the upper floors of the castle." She paused again, then sighed. "In fact, we'd better start heading up there..."

They bid Anastasia goodbye and she assurred them that she would find her way to Potions. _It's got to be in the same place it's always been_, she thought, finishing off her breakfast with a bit of bread to tie herself over until lunch. She had gotten up to leave when another familiar and yet much more pleasant face greeted her.

"Dorea told me your first class was potions and threatened to cast a pus-filled boil hex on me if I didn't show you the way." Charlus offered a smile and Anastasia reciprocated it, chuckling.

"Well, we can't let that happen now, can we?" She slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Charlus towards the entrance to The Great Hall, ignoring the stares she was getting as she passed by other tables. It was because she was 'new' - she was sure of it. After all, the only reason people in her time period ever stared was because she wore a badge of authority and was rather arrogant at times in her brilliance as a witch. These people didn't know her - it was almost a bit refreshing. As much as she had enjoyed being a prefect and a head student, this time... this time, she could really reinvent herelf.

"Anastasia?" Charlus inquired. The blonde swiveled her head towards Charlus and raised a brow.

"Hmm?" She had been lost in thought and hadn't heard whatever he had said.

"Are you going to tell Dorea about, er, our picnic last night?" Charlus was turning slightly pink at the cheeks, which made a small smile cross Anastasia's lips.

"No, I wasn't planning on it... Why?" She raised an eyebrow, and Charlus let out a sigh of relief.

"No reason in particular, really."

Anastasia stopped and crossed her arms, cocking her hip to one side.

"All right, all right... We're sort of... arranged to be married. Which is fine, because I like her, a lot... But she gets jealous if she sees or hears about me being with another girl."

"Well, Charlus" Anastasia began, a slight smirk forming on her features. "What would you call me?"

"Well, that's different!" Charlus exclaimed, throwing an arm around Anastasia's shoulders as he ushered her back down the corridoor. "Dorea specifically asked me to be your tour guide. Therefore, you're in the clear."

Chuckling, Anastasia grinned. "Did she really ask you to be my tour guide, or are you just being overly welcoming today?"

"Well, she asked me to show you to your classes and around the castle and grounds, so I'm assuming it'll just be easier if I classify it as being your tour guide."

Anastasia nodded. "That surely does make sense," she spoke, shrugging a bit. "I'm glad it's you, anyway."

"Oh?" Charlus spoke, raising a brow of his own.

"Yeah," she nodded in reply, hands in pockets. "Riddle was supposed to show me around yesterday, but between his ego and my low tolerance for arrogance, I don't think it would have ended well."

"Probably not" Charlus murmured, before clapping his hands together. "And we're here! Slughorn already assigned seats for the term... I know there's an empty seat somewhere, I'm just not sure _where_..."

The classroom Anastasia and Charlus were standing in looked a lot like Snape's, though the keen difference between the two was simply that Professor Slughorn had the curtains open, allowing the warm morning sunlight of September to filter in through the windows. The desks also looked a bit cleaner, nicer even - she couldn't find any engravements on the wood as she walked slowly around the room, taking in everything. It was only when her name was called that she turned around, facing a rather rotund man with a walrus mustache.

"Miss Adhemar?" The man asked again, and Anastasia nodded. His expression quickly broke into a smile as he took her hand and shook it with a certain fervor. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Adhemar. I am Professor Slughorn, and I'm absolutely delighted to have you in my class, as well as my house." He paused momentarily to allow Anastasia to take this in, before continuing on. "If you ever need advice of any kind or help with something, my door is always open."

"Thank you, sir" Anastasia murmured, and couldn't help the grin that stretched across her features. "I do appreciate it."

"It's nothing, dear, really... Have you come acquainted with the rest of the castle yet?"

"I'm afraid not," Anastasia answered, deciding it best not to include that she had been out past curfew the previous night and had already had a few altercations with The Head Boy. "Though, Charlus has offered to show me around the castle today."

"Odd," Slughorn spoke, twirling the end of his mustache with a finger. "I would have thought you would have volunteered your services, Tom!" He looked towards the door as he said this, and Anastasia turned her head to give him a long, hard stare.

"Oh, I imagine he would have," she murmured, raising an eyebrow. "But being Head Boy, I'm sure he's already very busy with more _important_ obligations."

The only thing that probably kept Tom from throwing a sneer her was was the fact that Slughorn was standing right there. He chuckled, the sound of it rolling off the stone walls. "I suppose Slytherin is lucky to have gotten you, Miss. With such intellect you would certainly have done well in Ravenclaw."

"That's exactly what the Sorting Hat said," Anastasia spoke, returning her gaze to Slughorn and composing her features.

"I presumed just as much. Now, I'd better start class... I believe there's an empty seat next to Minerva, though it won't be permanent placement for you."

"Thank you, sir," Anastasia replied and walked over to the girl Slughorn had pointed out. She was very tall, with chesnut brown hair and pale skin. She looked up from her book as Anastasia sat down and observed her with curious brown eyes.

"You're the new student, I take it?" Her tone was relaxed as Anastasia nodded. "I'm Minerva McGonagall, Head Girl. If you need any assistance with your schoolwork while adjusting to the curriculum, I'd be happy to help you."

A smile formed on Anastasia's lips, though she was also a bit affronted by the fact that she was sitting next to one of her former Professors as an equal right now. "Thank you, Pro- er, Minerva. I'll keep that in mind."

Thankfully, Professor Slughorn chose that moment to start class.

"Good morning, good morning, I trust all of you have gotten to meet Miss Adhemar, and if not have at least made the connection that she is our new student." Through all this, he gestured over to the table Anastasia and Minerva were currently occupying, and Anastasia blushed slightly, fidgiting in her chair as pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Even if it was just for a moment, she was getting tired of being observed like some monkey at a zoo. "I expect you all to give her a warm welcome and treat her as if she's been here the whole time. Now! With that out of the way, it's time to start class, and by extension, our start of the year competition! As you will recall from previous years of teaching, I give my seventh year potions class an in-class assignment to complete, and the student brewing the best potion will receive one vial of Felix Felicis."

At this, the class sat up a little straighter, watching Slughorn pull a vial of the potion out of his pocket.

"Now," spoke Slughorn, looking out over the room. "Who can tell me exactly _what_ Felix Felicis does?"

Anastasia had expected several hands to fly up in the air - as it was, out of her line of vision there were only three people with their hands raised - Minerva, Tom, and Anastasia herself.

"How interesting... Miss Adhemar?"

"It's liquid luck," said Anastasia, eyes lighting up. "It makes you lucky, in a sense - consume it with breakfast and everything that could go right, will go right... It's the perfect day, confined in a bottle."

"Poetically stated!" Slughorn's exclamation made a smile stretch across Anastasia's lips. Minerva raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that someone else was so far up on their potion skills, and Anastasia gloated in thought. If this was what it was going to be like all year, then schoolwork wouldn't be a problem - she had already completed her seventh year once. "Now, normally this competition is each student for themselves. This year, however, I've decided to change things a bit. Everyone here will be brewing a love potion in teams of two - one boy, one girl. The team with the winning potion will receive one bottle of Felix each. Now, I've paired everyone up already, so when I call your names, you may join your partner and start working. You have until the end of class to be done - which leaves you with a little over an hour to brew me a decent potion."

At the mention of pre-assigned partners, a few students sighed heavily and Anastasia herself had to fight back an eyeroll. This professor was the polar opposite of Snape - it was going to take a lot of getting used to if this was how things often operated in Slughorn's classroom.

"Alphard Black will be paired with Olive Hornby," Slughorn announced, and Anastasia watched as a rather haughty-looking boy gathered up his bag and joined a girl with short red hair and freckles. Slughorn continued reading more names - a girl named Lucinda was partnered up with someone named Lestrange, a boy by the name of Diggory with a girl named Verna Crouch, and a timid looking Ravenclaw paired with Charlus, which made Ana snigger a bit. She cast a sympathetic look toward Minerva, who didn't look too pleased to be paired with Finnick Montague.

"What's wrong, Minerva? Don't like being paired with the best chaser in Hogwarts, eh?"

"Shove off, Finnick."

Snickering, Anastasia looked around - there were only a handful of people left - a wiry-haired Hufflepuff, two Ravenclaws, an indian Gryffindor girl, and Tom Riddle.

Speaking of which, Slughorn just announced his name.

"Tom Riddle, your partner is Anastasia Adhemar."

Anastasia couldn't help but sneer as she grabbed her bag with a certain force and walked reluctantly over to the table Tom was sitting at. She slid into the empty chair, staring into space as the last two pairs were announced.

"You may get any needed ingredients from the back. Let the brewing begin!"

He could really work on his slogans and phrases, Anastasia thought. She glanced at Tom through her peripherals as she fished her potions book out of her bag and flipped to the appropriate page needed. "I'll go get the boomslang skin," she murmured, standing up. "Do we need anything else?"

"We have boomslang skin, America" he spoke, measuring powdered unicorn horn carefully. "Did they not teach you how to use your eyesight in America?"

"Did your mother neglect to teach you basic manners?" Anastasia fired back, narrowing her eyes. Tom's head snapped up and he directed a rather menacing glare at his partner.

"Did yours neglect to teach you to respect your superiors?" His tone was hushed, though it echoed in Anastasia's ears and she sneered, crossing her arms.

"I don't care if you're Head Boy" she muttered, sitting back down in her chair. "You're absolutely despicable and you make me want to murder infants."

Tom looked affronted. "Who would bother murdering infants?"

Anastasia gave him a long, hard stare. "What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," said Anastasia as she grabbed a silver knife and some round beans.

Scoffing, Tom shook his head. "You're horrible at being enigmatic, you know."

"You're horrible at making me care," she muttered, stabbing at a bean with the knife. It rolled away a few feet. She tried again and missed, sending it flying across the room. It went sailing into a cauldron that started hissing as dark green bubbles began spilling over the edge.

"Nice going" said Tom, smirking as Slughorn ran over to help quell the damage done to the other group's potion. "Maybe _I_ should do the brewing and you should just sabotage everyone else's chances."

"Or we could rely on sheer brilliance and talent," Anastasia said, sliding the beans and the knife over to Tom.

"There's no way in hell I'm brewing this all on my own and giving you partial credit."

"Giving me? Give me a break." Her eyes rolled almost involuntarily as she poured half a vial of cherub tears into the cauldron, which turned a faint shade of violet. "I could brew this blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back."

"That'd be a sight to see." Anastasia noticed, much to her distaste, that he had successfully cut open two of the beans and was now letting the juices drip into their cauldron as he said this.

Stirring the contents already in the cauldron, Ana watched it turn a deep shade of plum. "Go ahead and add in the powdered unicorn horn," she spoke, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Tom raised a curious eyebrow.

"No snarky remarks? That's a first." His hand methodically poured the powdery white substance into the cauldron, and Anastasia stirred it clockwise until it turned forest green, then began turning it counter-clockwise. Halfway through, she sprinkled in some mermaid scales and watched as the potion turned a pale shade of periwinkle.

"There. It's almost halfway done," she murmured, inhaling the fumes. A smile stretched across her face as the faint scent of peppermint floated into her nostrils, and she reached for the silver knife to mince the roots from an olive tree - consequently, so had Tom, and their hands met halfway.

"Sorry," Anastasia apologized hastily, drawing hers back and rubbing it as if she had been badly burned. Tom snickered, shaking his head as he scooped up the tree roots in one hand and the knife in the other.

"If I didn't know any better, Anastasia, I'd say you fancied me." The smirk on his lips made her gag inwardly and a taut frown crossed her own.

"Don't flatter yourself, Riddle" she muttered, bending over her open textbook to read the instructions. "Now, we're supposed to mince the tree roots and add in seven ounces, sprinkling them throughout the potion and allowing them to sit for a minute before stirring."

"I know how to read, Yank" Tom spoke, rolling his eyes. A moment later his expression shifted to that of gratitude and he cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"What?" Anastasia spoke, hardly willing to believe that he had actually thanked her right after snapping at her. She then saw Slughorn making his way towards them and everything clicked. "You're welcome, Tom. I'm glad to be of assistance" she spoke, feigning appreciation rather well, in her opinion.

"And how is everything going over here?" Slughorn was standing on the other side of the table, smiling broadly under his mustache as his eyes took in the pair.

"Fine," answered Anastasia and Tom in unison, and Slughorn laughed brightly.

"I'd say so," he spoke, examining the contents of their cauldron. "My, this is turning out rather nicely. It seems Miss Adhemar balances you out nicely, Tom."

Floored, Tom looked up. "I beg your pardon, sir?"

"You've always been my best student, but your potions have had a knack for being on the... extreme side of things. It's clear that Anastasia has a certain talent for the art of brewing - this is the best potion I've seen coming from you since you entered Hogwarts. Perhaps you should consider having Miss Adhemar assist you in future projects."

And with that, Slughorn left with a reassuring look at the both of them to help Minerva and Finnick, the former armed with a knife and looking particularly bloodthirsty. Anastasia adopted a gloating smirk as she looked at Tom, who seemed abashed that a Professor revealed such opinion to him.

"Stop that" he muttered, chopping at the tree roots with a certain intensity.

"Stop what?" asked Anastasia innocently, her expression mirroring her tone as she batted her eyelashes. "I'm ever so certain I have no idea what you're saying."

It was Tom's turn to give her a hard stare, which he did. "I liked you better when you were brazen."

"You mean to say you _like_ me?" She still kept the saccharine tone as she feigned jovial happiness. "Oh Tom, I am flattered - really, I am - but you aren't my type."

"So brilliant, sly and handsome isn't your type?"

The act dropped there with a single eyeroll. "Neither is boorish, pompous, and hideously unattractive in personality."

They worked mostly in silence for the rest of the class - the last ten minutes was devoted to cleaning up each workstation and allowing Slughorn to pass by, making comments on each potion as to either praise the group as a whole, or offer advice and explain where they went wrong.

When he got to Tom and Anastasia's, he beamed widely.

"Truly amazing work, I must say" he spoke, clapping his hands together. "I can smell pineapple clearly - very well done, you two. Very well indeed."

He moved onto the final three potions. Anastasia was simply pleased that she had made it to the end of class without making an attempt on her partner's life, let alone manage to brew a decent potion.

"Well, I think it's clear who the winners are... Miss Adhemar, Mister Riddle, it gives me great pleasure to be able to grant you one vial of Felix Felicis each. Use it wisely."

He stepped forward and handed a vial to Anastasia, who took it and pocketed it quickly - the rest of the class was looking at her and Tom with a mixture of admiration and jealousy - though the latter was much clearer to find.

After being dismissed, Anastasia ventured out of the classroom to find Charlus waiting for her in the corridor, keen on showing her the way to the charms classroom. She sat by Persephone and they alternated between passing notes during class and actually paying attention - Anastasia found it a bit unnecessary for herself, seeing as she already understood the theory behind the gemino charm. Herbology resulted in a bit of disaster with the snarfalump plant, and she had to be escorted to the hospital wing to get a gash on her forearm taken care of. By lunch she was ready for the day to be over with - all it had really been was a bunch of repitition, from the proper way to wave your wand when casting a protective enchantment to how to properly feed a bowtruckle.

The second half of the school day would prove to be much more relaxing - between Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, Anastasia had a free period scheduled which she spent walking around the castle - partially for old time's sake and partially to see keen differences between what she was used to and what she would be seeing now. The lack of the Whomping Willow would be a big change - she would have to remind herself that she'd have a new shortcut to the lake with its absence.

The library still smelt of old books, but it was much more brightly lit as Anastasia entered it, and the librarian wasn't nearly as bat-like and beady eyed as Madame Pince. After ten minutes of wandering around, she found herself in the fiction section and began climbing up a ladder, examining the titles as she ascended. They were rather odd and yet, intriguing all the same - _Flesh and Bone, The Wondrous Wizard of Gildaland, Pride and Prejudice_...

"They have muggle books?" Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. This was very odd, even by her standards - she had never found muggle literature at Hogwarts in her time period. To find it now, when there were more pureblood families running rampant around the castle than normal, was highly unusual and unexpected.

She plucked the book from the shelf and began climbing down the ladder - a foot from the floor, Anastasia stopped and pulled another book off the shelf. Her feet carried her towards the librarian and she left the room as quickly as she had come, two new reads in tow.

She hadn't accounted on running into Tom on her way out - then again, she never accounted on running into him. "Don't you have a class?" inquired Anastasia, flipping open the Jane Austen novel to the first page.

"I could ask you the same thing," he muttered, peering over her shoulder as they walked. "What on Earth are you reading?"

"A book. Maybe you've heard of them? You should go into the library - it's full of books." Shutting the cover, she tucked her books into her chest and sighed. "Can I help you?"

"Very funny. And yes, actually, you can." By this point, he had manuevered himself so that he was standing in front of Anastasia, blocking her way down the corridor. "Next time we're partners for potions - or any class, for that matter - _don't_ make a fool out of me."

"Amazing," Anastasia murmured, unable to take her eyes off of him.

"What?" Tom asked, eyebrows shooting up in curiousity despite his irritated tone.

"I'm just floored that someone could be so full of themselves." Her head shook from side to side slowly as she stood there, eyes still on his. When she spoke, her tone was soft and full of malice. "I didn't make you look like a fool - you do that just fine on your own."

Pushing past him, Anastasia walked swiftly down the corridor, disappearing behind the corner at a rapid pace and carrying herself up a flight of stairs as quickly as she could. As she reached the fifth floor, class let out. The corridor was crowded as ever, yet she managed to push through the masses and make it to one side of the hall, riding it until she got to the transfiguration classroom. It was a relief, being in a class she enjoyed and knowing it was her last one of the day as she sunk into a seat towards the middle - however, it was certainly odd seeing a ginger-haired Dumbledore at the front of the classroom.

As the class began filling up, Anastasia opened up her book once more and managed to get four pages into it before class begun. Again, it was all review - the theory of nonverbal spells followed by Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Anastasia resorted to doodling on her parchment while Dumbledore lectured that food, precious metals, information, life and love could not be created out of thin air. McGonagall had spend enough time reminding everyone in her class on the subject - needless to say, Anastasia could recite back roughly the same definition from her textbook, give or take a word here or a phrase there. The hour ended with the announcement of an essay detailing the importance of the understanding of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, due by Wednesday of next week.

"Miss Adhemar, may I speak with you?"

Anastasia looked up from her desk as she was folding her parchment in half. "Yes, sir... Is there something wrong?"

"Not particularly," Dumbeldore spoke, walking forward as the last straggler exited the room. "Although, no matter how much you already know, I still expect you to stay attentive in my class."

"Yes, sir." Anastasia felt her cheeks grow hot as she slid her parchment into her textbook and placed her textbook into her bag. "It won't happen again."

"Very well. I expect your first day of classes has gone rather smoothly? Professor Slughorn spoke very highly of you at the staff table this afternoon."

"Did he?" She couldn't help but raise her brow, before nodding. "Yes, my first day has been... well, it's been interesting, to say the least, but nevertheless has run it's course rather well."

"I'm happy to hear it. I also trust that the student body has been welcoming?" Anastasia nodded again. Dumbledore raised a graying brow. "Tom Riddle included?"

Anastasia nodded against her will. "Yes, sir" she spoke, swallowing her pride and forcing a smile as she lied. "Especially Tom." She wanted to blurt out the truth - that he was as welcoming as a thorn in her side and that the whole reason she was here was to quell any mischief on his part, but that wasn't an option. For one, she wasn't a snitch, and on top of it all, revealing she was from the future to anyone - even the man who had sent her on such an assignment - was not an option.

"Very well, then. You may go - I don't wish to keep you from your friends." Dumbledore turned and walked back to the front of the room as Anastasia nodded, shoving her books into her bag. She had made it to the door when Dumbledore spoke once more.

"Anastasia - if you ever need to confide in anyone, my door is always open."

"Thank you, Professor" spoke Anastasia, walking out of the classroom and into the seemingly empty corridor.

She had not seen Tom Riddle, leaning against the wall as she had exited and turned the corner.


	5. Sudden and New

I'm keeping the disclaimer short this time - I don't own The Harry Potter Series or anything affiliated with it. Also, I know it's been ages since I've updated, but I'm hoping this chapter (all 3,362 words of it) is long enough to make up for the months this story has been collecting dust!

Please read and review! Your reviews do help me, especially if you critique my writing! I can only get better with criticism!

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><p>There was something about her that intrigued him.<p>

Of course, this was beyond the fact that he was certain she was up to something. That alone had caused him to spend the free hours of his day keeping within close distance of her, watching her movements and interactions carefully. When she wasn't walking down corridors with Charlus Potter as her guide – something that irritated him to no end – or hanging around with Dorea and Persephone, she would read. She picked the most random places to read. One day he found her sitting on the ledge of a window. The next day she was lying down on her stomach near the quidditch pitch. By the next week she had picked spots to read as odd as a broom cupboard and a table in a classroom. The table portion would not have been odd except for the fact that she had chosen to settle herself _under_ the table.

Today, Tom found her sitting on a bench in an alcove, her hair pulled out of her pale face in a long plait down her back. The book in her hands was an old one, the binding dog-eared and easily bendable. The pages were a yellowish color and Tom could smell the scent of it from several feet away, yet he didn't mind it so much. Rather, it was a sight he was happy to see. Rarely did he find anyone else in the castle so interested in books for the purpose of enjoyment. It was a strange and wonderful change.

The only issue at hand was actually _talking_ to her. It was an unusual problem for Tom – normally he was so good with words, with using his charm over people, and she was the first person to shake that off of him. He normally would never speak to a girl like he had when they first met. He'd never be that aggressive with someone of the fairer sex – at least, not to their face. And yet there was an inexplicable fire inside of her that couldn't be controlled. She was fiery and passionate, she was strong willed and ambitious, charming and polite.

She was his equal.

He would never admit the fact verbally. He would never tell anyone of how much it scared him that he had so much in common with this one girl – and American, of all nationalities. He needed to keep tabs on her, something he had started that afternoon he had eavesdropped on her conversation with Dumbledore. It had initially began as a way of making sure she wasn't a threat and that she wouldn't become one, and over the span of a month it had blossomed into an emotion so foreign to Tom he had to make sure he hadn't ingested a potion by mistake.

Affection.

Of all things in the world he could feel for this girl, it had to be affection.

The way her hair framed her face, the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating on her schoolwork, the way her laugh bubbled out of her mouth – soft and demure, rather than loud and harsh like _some_ people he knew. There was a rhythmic sway to her hips as she walked and Tom would often be arriving to class just after she did because he liked to stay behind her and observe while she walked. Of course, no one else was in on it. He did a good job of keeping a low profile, though he had toned down on his biting sarcasm and snarky remarks a considerable bit. He needed to be more courteous toward Anastasia. He needed to give her a reason to see him in a new light – primarily because he had plans. Big plans. Plans that didn't need interrupted by an inquisitive blonde girl, no matter how intelligent and attractive she may be.

Taking a deep breath, Tom double checked to make sure he had grabbed the right invitation off of Slughorn's desk and squared his shoulders, walking forward with tall posture and high chin. "Good afternoon, Anastasia."

Anastasia did not look up from her worn copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, even though she could easily recite the passage she was reading word for word. Tom had seen her reading the classic no less than five times and faintly wondered what was so fantastic about the muggle work of literature that kept her coming back for more. Perhaps he could procure a copy of his own and disguise it as a book on the dark arts. Then again, feminist literature never particularly interested him.

Clearing his throat, Tom tried again. "Anastasia?"

This time, Anastasia tore her eyes away from the page to look up at him and rose an eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Perfectly fine" replied Tom, blinking in confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"You're calling me by my proper name" answered Anastasia, without skipping a single beat. Tom managed to smile and chuckled, and Anastasia gave a soft smile of her own despite herself. "What do you need?"

"Professor Slughorn asked me to hand-deliver this to you" spoke Tom, holding out the invitation for Anastasia to take. As she clasped the parchment envelop in her pale fingers, Tom continued. "The Slug Club is meeting tonight for dinner and desert, and he would be delighted if you were to join us."

Anastasia, being her slightly cautious self, rose a brow and opened the parchment envelope, catching the invitation inside as it fell towards her lap. Her soft blue eyes scanned the writing once and she folded it into her book, nodding. "Alright. I suppose I'll see you there tonight, then."

"That you will" was his only reply before he shoved his hands into his robe pockets and continued down the corridor and around the corner, vanishing out of sight.

"So, good old Sluggy has invited you to dinner with The Slug Club?"

"Don't forget dessert, Persophone!"

"Right, right." Persephone nodded in Dorea's direction before switching her gaze over to Anastasia, who was standing in front of a mirror, adjusting the sash of her dress. "And why, pray tell, are you getting so dressed up?"

"I want to make a good impression" Anastasia commented, twirling a blonde curl as her teeth grazed her lower lip, stained scarlet with lipstick. "Is it too much, do you think? Should I dress more casually?"

Persephone merely shook her head, smirking. "You look fine, Adhemar. You've already made a good impression if Slughorn's invited you to join The Slug Club."

"Yeah, the only other girl in Slug Club is that Minerva McGonagall!" exclaimed Dorea, the end of her sentence popping in a squeak. It caused Persephone and Irene to snicker.

"Well then, consider me a pioneer." Anastasia turned around, hands on hips, and sighed. "I ought to get going before I'm late. That wouldn't be good."

"Yeah, but I bet you could get away with it. Play it off as you were enjoying the scenery or something."

"You're probably right, Irene. Still…"

"Go on!" spoke the redhead, waving her hand toward the door. "Get out of my sight, you're boring me and the rest of us."

Anastasia couldn't help her grin as she left the dormitory and made her way down to the common room, the heels of her shoes clicking against the hard stone floor. As she reached the common room door, she saw Tom standing there, waiting for her, and rose a questioning brow.

"I figured we could walk up together" he explained before she could ask, shrugging his shoulders. "Unless, of course, you'd rather walk by yourself."

"That's alright" murmured Anastasia, stepping out of the common room behind him. "I could use the company."

They walked in comfortable silence until they reached Slughorn's classroom – Tom made sure to be slightly ahead and held the door open, and Anastasia murmured a quick 'thank-you' as she slipped into the classroom, Tom following behind her and breathed a sigh of relief under his breath – there were two seats open, one of them being next to Slughorn of whom beamed as they walked in. "Tom! Anastasia! You're just in time for dinner!"

"Here, let me get that for you" Tom murmured to Anastasia and stepped forward, pulling her chair out for her. Anastasia smiled at him, murmuring a quiet "thank-you" as she stepped forward and went to take her seat.

_SLAM!_

Tom had been staring so intently at the way her blonde curls cascaded down her back like a waterfall that he hadn't realized he had pulled the chair out too far. Muffled laughter broke out around the table from several students – one or two of them were trying to hide smirks as Professor Slughorn raised both eyebrows and Tom's eyes widened, his feet rooted to the spot for only a moment – the next thing he knew, He was kneeling next to Anastasia, an arm beginning to snake itself around her waist.

"I'm fine" she muttered stiffly, reaching up to grip the edge of the table. Tom quickly seized her hand in his and shook his head.

"Let me help you" Tom whispered back to her, his arm now supporting her back, his hand firmly gripping the curve of her waist without being forceful. Anastasia's hard looked softened only slightly under his gaze, but Tom noticed it none the less and helped her to her feet, his hand lingering on her waist a second too long. He nodded curtly and slowly scooted her chair forward as she sat down, this time landing gracefully in her seat rather than on the floor.

"Are you alright, Miss Adhemar?" Slughorn peered over at her with his eyebrows still raised as Tom sat in his usual chair next to the Professor. Most meetings, Malfoy sat on his left, but tonight that place was taken by Anastasia and instead Abraxas was on the left of her.

"I'm perfectly fine, Professor" Anastasia murmured, smiling softly. "I'm just a little clumsy, is all."

Not asking any further questions, Slughorn clapped his hands together, which seemed to signal the beginning of dinner – food appeared on the empty platters and in the empty bowls before them all, and Anastasia reached for the greened beans, scooping a spoonful onto her plate before passing them to Minerva, who gave her a somewhat cheeky half-smile.

"Charlus, how is the quidditch season going so far?" Slughorn was cutting into some cooked pheasant as he addressed Charlus, who sat across the table looking rather bored as he piled mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"It's going rather well, if I do say so myself." He looked up from his food and passed the bowl down to a young looking fellow, who scrunched up his face and shoved it off to his left. "I predict the season to certainly be an interesting one, if nothing else."

"Excellent! And you always were a fine chaser; I expect this year will be no different."

"I wouldn't be so sure" spoke a voice from across the table, and Anastasia's attention snapped from Charlus to the person who spoke – a tall, well-built boy with olive skin and dark hair. He went by the surname Macnair and he arched one eyebrow in a quiet, challenging manner. "As returning captain I've put the Slytherin team on a highly sophisticated training program that will ensure we will be an even greater force to be reckoned with."

"So perhaps you'll lose by a smaller margin than last year's score?" The remark had come from Minerva, who wore a satisfied smirk on her face as Macnair shot her a glare and went on to pushing his food around on his plate. After a few exchanged grins and snickers, Slughorn shook his head and instead, turned his attention on Anastasia.

"So" he began merrily, a smile curving onto his lips. "Miss Adhemar, I believe we'd all love to hear what America is like! How does the system at the American Academy of Magic differ from ours here at Hogwarts?"

All at once, all eyes were on Anastasia and she cleared her throat awkwardly, setting the mashed potato bowl aside without attending to placing any on her own plate.

"Well" she began, slender fingers curling around her silver fork for some sort of comfort, "we don't have houses at AAM like you do here at Hogwarts." She had told this story a million times, there was no reason for her to be nervous. This was like acting – this classroom was her stage and she _had_ to convince her audience, or else.

"Instead, we have roommates. You typically stick with the roommate you get when you enter your first former, but you can submit paperwork to be reviewed for a new one." She paused and smiled lightly. "I kept mine – Judy Perkins. She was an absolute gem." Blinking, a sentimental smile crossed Anastasia's lips. "Anyway. We have more electives over at AAM than here at Hogwarts – I took my standard courses such as Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and the like – but I also took political studies as well as composition courses."

"Political studies? Are you interested in politics?" As Slughorn asked the question, Anastasia smiled wryly.

"I have my opinions, much like everyone else." She went to pick up her goblet when Slughorn asked her the question she was hoping would be avoided.

"What do your parents do?"

The thought of Anastasia's mother, all the way in the year nineteen ninety-four, flashed before Anastasia's eyes and she swallowed, now aware of the several pairs of eyes on her, and managed a small, solemn smile.

"They passed away in a fire when I was a young girl." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked down at her plate. "My mum taught music and dance lessons to young witches and wizards and my father worked for the government. I grew up in an orphanage since then and when I got the opportunity to come here to Hogwarts for a year, I simply couldn't pass it up."

Despite her smile and the optimism in her tone as she looked up, everyone was giving her an array of stares – odd, sad, sympathetic, and one slightly bewildered one from Tom. She didn't say anything, but her gaze wafted over to Slughorn and he cleared his throat, turning back to the table and clapping his hands. "Let's all eat, before this lovely dinner gets cold!"

Anastasia was grateful that the topic switched over to broom models as she bit into her greened beans, her stomach thanking her for the nourishment.

"Soup?" asked Tom, and she looked up as he held up a bowl.

"Yes please" Anastasia spoke, reaching for it as he went to go put it with her plate – her hand collided with his arm. Everything that happened next seemed to move in slow motion – his hand slipped from his grip on the bowl and the soup was sent toppling upside-down, into Anastasia's lap. She leapt up, biting her lip to keep from cursing and instead letting out a sound much like a wounded animal – all eyes were focused back on her again as she looked over at Tom, whose mouth was agape as he searched for an apology that would never come.

Glaring and slamming her napkin down on the table in a huff, Anastasia turned and stormed out of the room, making it into the safety of the hallway before she let loose a few unladylike words under her breath. She marched down the corridor, head bent down. Someone was following her but she didn't bother looking behind, and as the voice reached her ears, a snarl appeared on her lips.

"Anastasia! Anastasia, wait! I-"

"Are you happy?" hissed the blonde as she wheeled around to face Tom Riddle, her normally bright and attentive blue eyes blurred with tears. "Did you finally get what you wanted? Humiliating me in front of all your friends? Making me look like an _idiot_ in front of Slughorn? Ruining any chance I had at having a decent year for once?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, not yet finished with her rant.

"I thought that if I came to Hogwarts, I'd actually have a good year of schooling. I wouldn't have to deal with Professors who didn't give a _damn_ about me or my future, I wouldn't have to deal with girls making my life hell because I was smart, I wouldn't have to deal with people treating me like – like some sort of freak for having different interests! I thought I'd actually get to have a normal year for once, not having to look like the damn villain all the time for being the only student of authority who actually _does_ anything!

"But _no._ I come here, and the first person I meet is _you. _Mister 'I'm-too-good-to-treat-anyone-like-an-actual-person.'" She paused, sucking in a breath and shook her head, her voice wavering as a lump began to form in her throat. "I see the way you walk around here, like you own the damn place. And in I walk, and just because I'm the only one in this school with the chutzpah to call you out, you have to treat me like I'm some low-class criminal and humiliate me to prove a damn point!

"Well, congratulations. You got your wish – first thing tomorrow, I'm getting on the fastest train out of here and you're never going to have to see my skinny self again."

She turned to storm back down the corridor, but several long, cold fingers wrapped around her wrist and before she could form a proper reaction, she had been spun back to face him – pulled into his grasp, his arm winding around her waist, his hand resting against her lower back and he kissed her. He kissed her like he had never kissed anyone before, primarily because he _had_ never – his lips moved slowly against hers, reveling in their softness, and as she relaxed into it, he let go of her wrist. His now freed hand ran through her soft blonde curls and she cupped his cheek with her hand.

After a moment they broke apart, Tom panting and Anastasia's cheeks flushed a rosy pink. And then –

"I need to go back to the common room."

"I'll go with you."

"I left my sweater in –"

"I'll get it." And, without another word, Tom had turned around and half-jogged, half-ran down the corridor. Anastasia watched him, and continued to watch the end of the corridor even after he had turned down it and disappeared.

"Excellent work."

Anastasia didn't turn to see who had spoken – she knew the voice from another lifetime and it comforted her to know the owner was working on her side in this one.

"He's completely enamored with you" observed Dumbledore, coming to stand beside Anastasia.

"It's infatuation" murmured Anastasia, shaking her head. "He's a monster – he'll overcome it eventually. Until then…" she paused, exhaling slowly and shaking her head. "Until then, we go about the plan as determined."

"Don't underestimate it, Miss Adhemar" spoke Dumbledore lightly, almost conversationally. "The only emotion stronger than fear… is love."

She looked up at Dumbledore, raising a brow, but didn't say anything. The corners of Dumbledore's lips curled upward, and he turned to her.

"You still have a lot of work to do, but this is grandeur progress. Good luck."

And with a small bow and a straightening of his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore disappeared off into a side classroom. Anastasia waited three more minutes before Tom returned, shedding his robes and placing them around her shoulders, apologizing for not being able to find her sweater and promising he would look for it in the morning, though he hadn't gotten the chance to finish his sentence, as she cut him off with a kiss. They walked quietly to the common room, hand-in-hand, and when it came time to say goodnight, it was discovered that Tom could be greedy with his farewells. Quite greedy, indeed.


End file.
